


someday, you will know

by trainerlyra



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Female My Unit | Byleth, Fluff, Goddess Tower (Fire Emblem), Pining, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Romance, Yurileth Week (Fire Emblem), no beta we die like Glenn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:34:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24295921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trainerlyra/pseuds/trainerlyra
Summary: The night of the ball, Yuri stumbles upon a bored Byleth.For Yurileth Week day 6:Goddess Tower!
Relationships: Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc/My Unit | Byleth
Kudos: 56





	someday, you will know

**Author's Note:**

> And here's my second piece for Yurileth week! I've had quite the day myself and am exhausted, hence why this is coming so late, but I hope you all enjoy this! Since none of the Ashen Wolves got Goddess Tower scenes (lame), this is absolutely wish fulfillment lol.

_You're so_ boring _,_ Sothis said. Byleth rolled her eyes.

"I don't like parties," she replied, thinking back to how many of her students - and sometimes even the students from other classes - had tried to talk to her that night. She'd been at Garreg Mach for quite awhile now, but even still, that much social interaction exhausted her to the bone.

Fighting, even leading her students into battle? That was simple. Easy. Byleth considered it to be like another mission - only her paycheck was determined by making sure her students stayed alive. And in all honesty, the Blue Lions made it easy for her. Most of them had already been in training for most of their lives.

But a party? Where she was expected to smile and dance the night away? Forget it.

_Must be hard being the favorite teacher,_ Sothis laughed. _You're popular these days. Must be my influence._

Byleth opened her mouth to refute the girl when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eyes. She didn't bring the Sword of the Creator with her that night, so her hands moved instead to the small dagger she kept on her thigh.

Right as she was about to throw it, a familiar face stepped out into the moonlight, hands up to show he wasn't at all a threat. Byleth blinked at him for a moment, dagger still in hand.

"Well, I guess I should've expected that," Yuri said with a laugh, walking closer towards her. "Why are you out here all by your lonesome, friend?"

Byleth almost wanted to smack herself. Of _course_ it was Yuri and not an intruder. If the Blue Lions were decent students, the Ashen Wolves who had joined their ranks were already professionals. They had all been fighting for their lives for years by the time that Byleth had met them all and asked them to join her class, and Yuri was the most talented of the bunch.

Unsurprising, if she were to be honest with herself. She didn't know much about Yuri's past - only what he'd cared to share with her - but from what she did know, he'd been learning the art of war almost as long as she herself had. His footsteps were as light as a feather, and this had not been the first time he'd managed to startle her into a defensive position.

If she were someone else, she might've been embarrassed. She and Yuri both understood, however, the truth of the matter: that it was better to be on your guard and potentially scare an ally then to lose your life because you were too lax.

Shrugging, Byleth realized she hadn't answered his question yet. "Not a party person," she told him honestly.

Yuri gave her a smile, relaxing his own posture. "I could've guessed that," he mused. "Lucky for you, nobody seems to have noticed your disappearing act yet."

"Why are you out here?" Byleth asked, eyeing him curiously. Like most of her class, Yuri had seemed pretty excited for the ball. Unlike herself, _he_ certainly seemed to enjoy being around people.

At least, he seemed to enjoy toying with people.

It was Yuri's turn to shrug. "Would you believe me if I told you I actually wasn't too big a fan of parties myself?"

Honestly, it was hard to believe a lot of what came out of Yuri's mouth when they weren't alone. In front of other people, including the Ashen Wolves, he always seemed to have some sort of mask on. Lately, though, after he'd told her a little about his childhood, that mask seemed to be slipping.

Slowly but surely, Byleth was sure she was getting to know the real Yuri. Every time they interacted now, even when there were others around, he would smile at her like they shared some sort of secret. For whatever reason, the way he looked at her always made her feel… _warm._ It was a nice feeling, and one that Byleth sought out now even if she didn't quite understand it.

From inside her head, Sothis laughed loudly at her. _You are so very dense, Byleth,_ she said, shaking her head.

"I would," she said, purple eyes meeting his own.

Yuri looked like he was about to respond, but footsteps and laughter startled them both. "Well, I don't think either of us wants to be found quite yet," he said, and at Byleth's nod, smiled in that cat-like way of his. "Why don't we go somewhere a little quieter?"

Without waiting for Byleth's response, Yuri started off, walking away from the voices that were slowly catching up to them. Byleth quickly followed, leaving behind the threat of having to be forced back into the party.

It wasn't that she didn't like her students, or didn't enjoy seeing them happy. That was the entire reason she had went to the ball in the first place, though she hadn't dressed up like the rest of them. She might not be the best at showing it, but Byleth genuinely cared about her students. The Blue Lions - and the Ashen Wolves - and slowly made their way into her heart. Something that before, she hadn't even been sure was possible.

By the time she realized where they were going, they were almost at their destination. "Have you heard the stories about this place?" Yuri asked her, turning around to face her once more. "Even us underground rats had heard about it."

"It grants you a wish," Byleth said, thinking back to her earlier conversations with her students. "I think."

Yuri rewarded her with a smile. This one wasn't quite so disarming as the last, however. In the light of the moon, with quiet surrounding them, it almost felt… soft. "Right you are, friend. If only it were that easy."

Not that long ago, Yuri had confessed to her, among other things, that he did what he did to help people in need. Byleth hadn't been lying to him when she'd told him that she found it admirable, but what she found _more_ admirable in a way was how honest he was with her now.

Byleth gave him a small smile in return. Part of her wanted to give a teacher's answer to his words - tell him that things were more rewarding when they were worked for. Instead, she decided that she would answer his honesty with her with honesty of her own.

"We could always try making a wish," she said, tilting her head a bit. "There's nothing to lose from doing so, anyways."

His eyes brightened at her suggestion. "Alright," Yuri agreed, placing a hand on his hip. "What would you wish for, then?"

That was the question, indeed. Byleth had gone through life wanting for nothing. It wasn't as if her life as a mercenary, following her father around, had been perfect - she had just never wanted anything more. Over time, she'd grown to enjoy, in some manner, the way of life her father had forced her into. When she'd been asked to reside here at the Monastery, she had honestly almost refused. The only reason she hadn't was because of her father's warnings.

Now she truly did enjoy what she did. Never in her life had she felt so comfortable around other people before, and she wondered if she had been missing out through the years as a killer for hire.

Even still, how could she want for something she didn't understand? There were so many feelings and experiences that were new to her, even so many months later. Byleth fumbled around each new emotion, each new friendship almost blindly, but she didn't dislike the feeling in a way. It had been a long time since anything had thrown her off balance. In that sense, it was almost welcome.

"I'd like for things to continue as they are," Byleth finally settled on, bringing a finger up to her cheek. "I don't really need anything different."

Yuri laughed, but Byleth could tell it wasn't _at_ her. No, not with the way his smile seemed to grow kinder with each of her words. It was a rare sight to see him like this - so carefree and human. Yuri was a person, much like herself, who was usually on guard. The amount of trust he must have in her, Byleth realized, was something that she shouldn't take lightly.

"You, friend, should never change," Yuri said, shifting towards her slightly. "If the world had more people like you, I think it would be all the better for it."

What an odd thing to say. "How so?" Byleth asked, too curious to let it go.

His eyes moved from hers to her lips to the campus below them. There was nobody outside besides the cats and dogs that lived at the Monastery, as the the ball was still going strong indoors. "You're painfully honest," he told her, leaning against the railing. "And you want for nothing. I've tried, in certain times, to live my life similarly, but I feel lacking in comparison. Desires," he continued, gesturing vaguely out into the open, "have more of a hold on me than I would like."

"And what do you desire?" Byleth asked, joining him against the railing. "To save people?" Their conversation the other day was still fresh in her mind. Everything he did, he had told her, was to help someone. It was no wonder at all that he had become the defacto leader of the Ashen Wolves. "I don't think that's a bad thing to want at all."

Yuri turned so he was facing her. "You're adorable," he said, something he told her often. She was beginning to think he did not mean it in the nice way. "Yes, that. Among other things." His gaze lingered on her for a moment as he spoke, before turning back to face the sky. "There are so many things I need to accomplish in this life. But you, the picture of contentment, continuously find a way to achieve what I cannot."

That… didn't make a lot of sense to her. Her goals had never been to save people, or even really to help people. Things had changed a bit for her, where she aligned herself more with her students - friends, really - needs and dreams, but for most of her life, she had lived as a mercenary. Doing what others asked of her for pay.

Certainly not helping out strangers for free, or making sure everyone had a place they could call their own. The Blue Lions had Dimitri for that, and the Ashen Wolves had Yuri. She was just… the hired help.

Without realizing, her face had scrunched itself into a frown. "I'm not quite sure what you mean," Byleth said, watching the breeze move the trees quietly. "But I think you can accomplish more than you know. You're uniquely dedicated, Yuri. I admire that."

"Careful now," Yuri said, voice light and teasing. "If you say things like that, I might get the wrong idea."

Byleth wasn't sure what he meant by that, either. "What would you wish for?" She asked, steering the conversation back into something she _could_ understand. From inside her, Sothis scoffed.

Smiling at her, Yuri shook his head. "Any number of things," he told her wistfully, "but at this moment in time? I'd wish to spend the rest of my night in your charming presence." He pushed himself off the railing to give her a mock bow.

Even when he was in an honest mood, the boy was such a tease. Byleth's eyes narrowed slightly in his direction. "Try again."

Yuri sighed dramatically. "I was being serious, you know," he said, but his smile made her doubt that. "I suppose if it is a wish, I could make it more grand. What if I'd asked for your presence for the rest of my life?"

Often, Yuri would tease her like this. Saying things that most certainly weren't true, especially when in the presence of others. When it was just the two of them, usually he wasn't quite as bad. At least, he hadn't been lately. Byleth didn't want to think that it somehow soured the interaction, but…

She'd be lying if she didn't. "I've decided to change my wish," she said, ignoring his question entirely. Yuri raised an eyebrow at her, curious. "I'd wish for you to be honest with me."

"I told you, friend," Yuri started, moving so he was just a breath away from her, "I was being serious. But, if you wish for honesty," he trailed off, bringing a hand up to hold the ends of her hair. "Then I'll say that I wish for you to know when I am being serious. So you'd know that I did not lie to you tonight."

For some reason, Byleth felt her cheeks grow hot. Yuri stared at them, almost in fascination, as he twirled her hair around his fingers. It's not as if Byleth had never been this close to a person before, but this was the first time it felt this _intimate_. He was close enough to her that she could feel the way his breath fanned out across her face.

She was completely lost. There were quite a few social scenarios that Byleth felt lacking in, but this was completely new to her. "I suppose," she started, unable to look away from Yuri, "I can accept that." Her words came out as little more than a whisper. It had been awhile since she felt so unlike herself.

Yuri smiled at her, then, soft and slow. Byleth had seen a lot of different smiles from Yuri since she'd known him - sarcastic, flirty, even the occasional genuine one - but this was the most beautiful she'd ever seen.

"One day," Yuri promised her, "you will understand what I mean."

He pulled away from her then, and almost instantly Byleth found herself missing the closeness. "I hope so," Byleth found herself saying.

For a few moments, they both stayed quiet. Yuri had his eyes solely focused on her, and Byleth wasn't sure what any of this meant. After Yuri had apparently found whatever he was looking for in his search, he turned towards the door they'd come in from.

"Well, friend, I should probably give you up for the night." He laughed a bit at himself, tossing her a smirk over his shoulder. "I feel I've kept you from the party long enough. Surely I'm not the only person looking to have some quality time with the favorite professor."

"Keep that up and you'll sound like Sylvain," she quipped, following him nonetheless. "I'm heading to bed, anyways. I'm exhausted." She had been exhausted before talking to Yuri, and after everything he'd said to her she was even more so.

_You have a lot to learn_ , Sothis sighed, clearly bored with the interaction now that it was ending. _Hopefully you can manage, little one._

As Yuri departed, likely back down to the Abyss, Byleth exhaled loudly. The heat that she'd felt had started to fade, and a quick touch of her cheeks confirmed that they were going back to their normal temperature.

Part of her wondered if she'd ever understand what had happened on the tower with Yuri. Whatever it was, whatever her reactions were, _he_ clearly knew and understood it well.

Part of her hoped it would happen again, even if she didn't understand why. Whatever those feelings were that she'd had, whatever the reason was for her face heating up when Yuri had gotten that close to her was… Byleth could at least understand that she'd _enjoyed_ it. Far more than the party, at least.

From the inside of her head, Sothis' laugh tinkled like bells.

**Author's Note:**

> I love Sothis making fun of Byleth lmao. It makes me laugh like nothing else. Anyways, thanks for reading, and hope y'all enjoyed! I wish I would've been able to do more for Yurileth week, but at least I got two fics out! Hope you all are staying safe and having a much better day than I, lmao.


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